Confessions of a Country Architect

by Don Metz

After graduating from the Yale School of Architecture, Don Metz decided to take up a small country practice in lieu of seeking success with a popular commercial firm. His choice led to personal and philosophical fulfillment, as well as recognition as a maverick architect who could build honest, reliable, and sustainable homes. It only followed that he would go on to write several books on architecture. Metz is also a novelist, and in Confessions of a Country Architect, he adroitly blends his writer's craft with his years in architecture to detail a touching and waggish memoir of his career. With warm wry humor and slapstick pathos reminiscent of James Herriot's All Creature's Great and Small, the feisty flatlander modestly recounts the ever-challenging and often-comical life of a country architect. A builder in his own right, Metz is also a practical -- but always creative and problem-solving -- hands-on architect. From his early years working with a weapons-grade jackhammer in a quarry to the construction of an earth-sheltered house, Metz details the panoply of noble goals and eccentric whims of his diverse clientele. Whether you are ready to summon up the courage to build a house, or content with an armchair with a view, Confessions provides a delightful account of the author's adventures as he navigates the awkward, intractable, and hilariously messy job of building dreams.

272 pages, Hardcover

First published October 25, 2007

Reviews

[Laura Boudreau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly enjoyable book - great writing, interesting cast of (real) characters, wonderful stories. Looking for more by this author!

[Jimcgold · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don's stories are just wonderful, including his journey from Eastern Pennsylvania to and through Yale's School of Architecture. What is unique and special is how Don remains true to his philosophy and values, shedding the spoils that have entraped some of his "highly successful" classmates.
Well written, and the tales are very well told. Names changed to protect the guilty.